Maryland man exonerated of murder after 27 years in prison

December 19, 2018

BALTIMORE (AP) — Authorities say a Maryland man has spent nearly three decades in prison for a murder he didn’t commit.

The Baltimore Sun reports 47-year-old Clarence Shipley Jr. was exonerated and released Tuesday after being imprisoned for 27 years. Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby says the justice system erred when it sent Shipley to prison for the 1991 death of 29 year-old Kevin Smith.

Shipley was convicted on false witness testimony. Family and friends of Shipley hired a retired detective to review the case several years ago. The detective uncovered mistakes, and prosecutors say new witnesses identified the killer as a man who died in 2005.

Shipley now is the fourth man exonerated through the work of innocence nonprofit projects headed by Mosby, the University of Baltimore and George Washington University.